


No Innocents

by LilacLament



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Flashbacks, Fluff, Kid Fic, Kinda, More Tags Yay, Oh also, Riko POV, but he’s also like 8 in this, but the asshole’s getting there, he’s still a little bitch though, idk - Freeform, ig, it’s like that one scene where Neil meets Kevin and Riko for the first time, not-completely-evil Riko ig, so he can’t really be a threat, that’s literally it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 15:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacLament/pseuds/LilacLament
Summary: “It'd been years since Neil stood in the same room as Kevin, years since they'd watched Neil's father cut a screaming man into a hundred bloody pieces.”Basically my take on that scene (and a little before!)I swear it’s not as dark as it seems!





	No Innocents

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic so idk what to write here lol. Ummm follow me on insta ig? My handle is @aftgvines. Oh, also, I have no beta if you can’t tell by the abhorrent grammar! Okay, I’ll stop now!

It was a moderately sunny Spring day, not hot enough to be uncomfortable, but still warm enough to play Exy. Kevin and Riko had gotten up extra early that morning, excitedly smiling at each other and fighting over who got to use the bathroom first. They played Rock Paper Scissors, Riko winning like always.

  
After they both got ready, twinning as they always did, Riko sat on his bed and handed Kevin a permanent market.

  
“Here!” he said, almost petulantly. “Do my number!”

  
It had become somewhat of a tradition between the two to write and rewrite the numbers 1 and 2 on his and Kevin’s cheeks respectively. They weren’t old enough to get actual tattoos yet, but Master Tetsuji had promised that they would be soon. For now, they had to settle for Sharpies.

  
Kevin took the marker from him, and ever so carefully, he traced the Roman number I onto Riko’s face. Kevin was obsessed with Roman Numerals, so it was only right that he took extra care crafting the lines.

  
Riko wasn’t the same way. No, he liked being messy! He thought it was so much more fun than Kevin’s precise little lines. Sure, they could get the serious numbers when they were older, but for now, Riko just hastily scrawled a 2 onto Kevin’s face.

  
When he looked into their little bedroom mirror, Kevin frowned. “Riko! You’ve ruined it!”

  
Kevin was one of those kids that just couldn’t pronounce the “r” sound, so it came out like a toddler saying it. Riko couldn’t help but smirk.

  
“Really, I wuh-wind it?” he said, teasing Kevin’s little lisp. Riko said it to be funny, but Kevin’s eyes watered.

  
“Riko! Why are you always so mean?” he frowned, crossing his arms.

  
At this, Riko was mad. Who was Kevin to tell him what to do? There was a reason that he was number 1, not Kevin.

  
“Take that back, Kevin. Just because we’re brothers doesn’t mean you can say I’m mean! I’m 1, remember? You’re Number 2 so you have to listen to me!”

  
Kevin’s eyes widened and he stepped back. Riko sighed. He didn’t mean to say it like that, but Kevin needed to learn his place. If Kevin thought Riko was mean, he should see what Master Tetsuji did to Riko.

  
“Look, I’m sorry I messed it up, okay? Here,” Riko stepped towards Kevin and drew a little crown with three points on top of the 2. “There, now you’re my queen. Draw a crown on me so I can be your king!”

  
Kevin obliged, but then paused, looking confused. “Riko, we’re both boys. How can I be a queen?”

  
Riko didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to tell Kevin that.

  
“It’s ‘cause you’re my second. I’m the king because I’m the better striker, and you’re the queen because you’re weaker than me, like a girl. Girls are really weak.”

  
“But mom was a girl,” said Kevin as he put the marker away. “She wasn't weak! She even made Exy which is like the best thing ever!”

  
Riko rolled his eyes. “I’m not talking about your mom, Kevin. I’m talking about girls. They all have cooties, so they’re weaker. Come on, we gotta go or Master will whip us for being late.”

Kevin still didn’t seem satisfied, but he followed behind Riko like always.

  
When they got to the Exy court, Riko took a look around at the Plexiglass dome shining brightly in the sun. This was his home, the one place where he belonged. He felt Kevin looking at him, grinning, and he grinned back, both excited to be playing Exy together.

  
They were interrupted by the voice of Master Tetsuji booming from above them.

  
“Boys, stop acting like idiots and come to the doors. We have a guest today.”

  
Kevin looked at Riko in confusion, but Riko didn’t look back. He couldn’t have Kevin know that Master didn’t tell him about their guest.

  
Huffing, he and Kevin ran up to the doors to see a boy in their Exy gear hiding behind a short woman’s legs.

  
Riko glared. The boy had bright red hair and icy blue eyes, with freckles lining his nose and cheeks. He looked nervous, more like a little baby lamb than an Exy player. Still, Master had said to play nice, so he would. For now.

  
Marching up to the boy, Riko held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Riko Moriyama. That’s Kevin Day. Who are you?”

  
The boy looked quizzically at his outstretched hand, and Riko wondered if he even knew how to speak. Riko was about to take his hand back when the boy firmly shook it.

“My name’s Nathaniel. Nathaniel Wesninski.”

  
Nathaniel had a very rough voice, Riko mused. Either he didn’t speak very often, or there was something wrong with his lungs. Riko hoped it was the first because he wouldn’t be fun to play with if he couldn’t run.

  
“That’s a cool name!” said Kevin from behind him. Riko sighed and rolled his eyes. Trust Kevin to always speak out of turn.

  
“It doesn’t matter if it’s cool or not,” lectured Riko. “He’s useless if he can’t play.”

  
To be honest, Riko hated that word. Useless. He had heard Father say it to Master when they talked about Riko. However, he knew how it made people feel so he liked using it. It was a useful word despite being “Useless”.

  
From above them, Master spoke crossly. “Nathaniel here is a backliner. He would make a good number 3 for you, Riko. Start running some drills while the adults talk.”

  
Master and the woman walked away, speaking in hushed voices. Riko wondered if they were talking about secrets. He hated secrets, especially if he wasn’t privy to them.

  
Kevin interrupted his thoughts with a tug on his sleeve. “Come on, let’s run drills!”

  
Riko was a bit annoyed, but he went along with it. If he indulged Kevin now, he’d do what Riko wanted later. Besides, Riko was itching to play, so it was a win-win for him.

  
Throughout the drills, Nathaniel began opening up more and actually smiled as he played. He was unpracticed, but Riko could see him becoming a great player one day. He had the speed for it, he just needed more control.

  
What really struck Riko, though, was that familiar, burning fire on the boy’s eyes. He knew that fire, that passion for Exy. Only someone who worshipped the court looked like that.

  
At that moment, Riko decided that he had found his third. Kevin and Riko glanced at each other, speaking without saying a word. In that glance, Riko could tell that Kevin saw the fire too.

  
They finished the drills. At this point, Kevin was wearing a genuine smile on his face, and Riko surprisingly was as well. As the three boys smiled shyly at each other, Riko could feel that this was the start of something new. Something big.

  
However, all good things need to come to an end.

  
Riko heard a loud gunshot coming from the stadium. It was from the Top Box, where Master’s friends would always sit and watch the Ravens’ games. Quickly, all three boys dropped their Exy sticks and went to explore.

  
When they got to the top of the stadium, the door to the top box was blown wide open. From there, the boys huddled in the doorway, looking in at a man covered head to toe in blood.

  
The man looked up. “Ah, boys, come in.” He was like a replica of Nathaniel, the same steely blue eyes and fiery hair adorning his face. He looked to be about the Master’s age, though it was hard to tell under all the gore. Behind him, Riko could feel Nathaniel stiffen, the smile long-gone from his face.

  
Morbidly curious, the three watched as the man cut his victim into pieces. Riko was fascinated. He never knew that people could bleed so much. He stood there long after blood had long seeped into his white sneakers, painting them red.

  
Kevin and Nathaniel had long since looked away from the man who was somehow still eliciting screams from the man on the floor. But not Riko. No, Riko was rooted to the spot, his eyes never leaving where skin met blade.

  
When the man had died, the adults went away. Master, to go clean up, and Nathaniel’s parents back to their house, their petite son in tow. Riko and Kevin headed to their room to change.

  
When they got there, Kevin said, “Y-you can shower first if you want. You won this morning.”

  
Riko looked up, seeing Kevin’s hands shaking. He looked close to tears, his emerald eyes shining in the light.  
“No, I’m good. Go ahead,” Riko said with a smile.

  
Kevin gratefully scampered away, and Riko’s mind wandered. He wanted to meet the knifed man again, to learn from him. Something about him screamed danger, and Riko was curious. He wanted that power, that control the man held while tearing his victim into a hundred pieces.

  
Riko resolved to talk to Master Tetsuji about it in the morning. In the meanwhile...well, if Riko dreamt of blood spilled by his own hands, no one would be the wiser.


End file.
